Understand authorization holds

After you place an order on Google Store, you might notice an unfamiliar charge on the payment method you used to make the purchase. This is called an authorization hold, and you should see it drop from your payment method in a short time.

When you place an order, we contact the issuing bank to make sure the payment method is valid. Your bank reserves the funds until the transaction processes or the authorization expires, but this isn't an actual charge.

Authorization holds are removed by your bank after a short time, which might vary by bank. This doesn’t mean that the order is canceled. If the order is going to ship after the authorization hold is dropped, you might not see a pending authorization hold on the payment method.

If you use a debit card, you might see authorization holds as charges on your online statement. These charges are automatically reversed by your bank.

When the order is about to ship, we’ll attempt to charge the payment method on file. If there are no issues, the payment method is charged and the order ships. If the payment method on file can’t be charged (for lack of funds, changes in billing information, or any other reason) when the order is about to ship, we’ll send you an email, and you have 7 days to update your payment method details, after which your package ships. If your payment method details are not updated, your order will be canceled.

Learn more about how to fix failed transactions. If you have questions about the way your card handles authorization requests, or you find that you’ve been charged more than once, contact your bank.

Extra fees on your order (currency conversion)

The Google Store doesn’t charge any extra fees on top of your total order price (including any applicable taxes and shipping). What you see on your order confirmation screen is your total Store charge.

If you see extra fees with an order charge on your card statement, contact your bank or card provider. If you ordered an item from another country, your credit card may charge cross-border or exchange fees. The Google Store can’t reimburse any fees added by your card-issuing bank.